


Bittersweet Symphony

by EmilyRuth94



Category: Holby City
Genre: F/F, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 02:33:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15524151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmilyRuth94/pseuds/EmilyRuth94
Summary: An AU in which Bernie was never a patient at Holby, instead she married Alex and only moved back to Holby after they left the army together. When Bernie's life comes crashing down literally in front of her eyes, it falls to her new friends Serena to help her pick up the pieces.(Rubbish summery, please read anyway!)





	Bittersweet Symphony

**Author's Note:**

> This idea has literally been plaguing me for weeks, so I finally sat down and wrote it. I hope it's ok, I'm still very new to this writing business!  
> I know that the characters are a liiiitle bit OOC, but as it's an AU I figured that'd be ok.
> 
> As always, enjoy and let me know what you think!! xx

“Have a good day, I love you.” Bernie spoke into her phone, before terminating the phone call with her wife. She then tucked her phone safely away in her pocket, took a deep breath and looked up at Holby City Hospital, ready to start her first day. 

She and Alex had met whilst serving together in the army and had had an instant chemistry. Their friendship developed quickly and Alex had been there for Bernie when her 25-year marriage had come to a painful end when Bernie couldn’t give up her life in the army for her husband. Their friendship blossomed into a romance and eventually they’d gotten married. When Alex had started to get disillusioned with army life she eventually, with great difficulty, managed to persuade Bernie to leave with her and they spent a few happy years together travelling around the world before choosing to settle once again in Holby to allow Bernie to spend time with her children and their growing families. Alex had been content to take a step back and enjoy life at a leisurely pace, Bernie had tried to join her, but after six months back home she knew that life wasn’t really for her and had been able to quickly secure a position at Holby City Hospital as a consultant trauma surgeon. 

That’s what brought her here today. She let out her deep breath and quickly made her way inside the hospital, towards AAU where she’d been told to report to. Finding the ward wasn’t a problem for Bernie, navigation had always been one of her strong suits and once she was there she made her way to the nurses station where she saw a woman with short brunette (yet slightly peppered with grey) hair, she was wearing a silky royal blue blouse and was frowning slightly at the patient’s notes that she was reading. 

“Erm, good morning. I’m looking for Serena Campbell?” Bernie asked hesitantly, anxious about disturbing the woman in front of her. 

The woman looked up and pulled off her reading glasses. 

“That’d be me.” Serena said narrowing her eyes. 

“Oh brilliant, I’m Bernie, the new consultant starting today, I was told to check in with you. Hopefully you’re expecting me?” Bernie asked. 

“Ah, you must be the famous Mrs Wolfe-Dawson! I have to say that your reputation proceeds you. It’s fantastic to finally meet you.” Serena said as she rose to her feet and held out her hand for Bernie to shake. 

“I, erm, go by Ms. Wolfe professionally.” Bernie replied as she shook Serena’s hand. “But Bernie is absolutely fine.” She added quickly. 

Serena smiled. 

“Very well. I’ll show you to your office now, unfortunately you’ll be sharing with me. Hopefully that won’t be a problem.” She told Bernie as she moved out from behind the nurses station and began walking towards the office. 

“Oh no, not at all. I... I well, I wasn’t expecting to have an office.” Bernie stammered as she walked alongside Serena. 

Serena responded with a quick smile before they arrived at their now shared office and she opened the door and allowed Bernie to enter. Bernie took a look around, taking in her new environment. She spied various photos on Serena’s desk, noting that like herself, Serena appeared to have two children. Serena saw her looking at the pictures of Jason and Elinor and moved over to her desk to look at the photos herself. 

“This is Jason,” she said lifting up a picture of a man with curly hair and glasses and handing it to Bernie so she could have a closer look. “He’s my nephew, but after the death of my sister, I took him on and he’s the closest to a son I’ll ever have. He lives with his partner Greta and their daughter Gwenevere, he’s a porter here at the hospital so I’m sure you’ll meet him very soon.” 

“I look forward to it.” Bernie replied genuinely, handing Serena the photo back. 

Serena took in a deep breath and picked up the photo of Elinor. 

“This was Elinor. My daughter. She... Well she died a few years ago after a car accident and an undiscovered traumatic head injury.” She barely whispered. 

Bernie smiled sadly. Knowing that saying she was sorry wouldn’t be in the least bit comforting to the woman in front of her. 

“She was very beautiful.” She said instead, before pulling a couple of her own framed pictures from her handbag that she had intended on putting in her locker. “These are my two. Cameron and Charlotte.” She said handing Serena a picture of her children. “That’s actually a really rare picture, you’d think from it that they might actually like each other.” She honked with laughter before pulling out another photograph. This one was a picture of her and Alex on their wedding day. “This is my better half, Alex.” She said handing Serena the frame. 

If Serena was surprised, she didn’t show it and they chatted about their respected families for a few more moments before Serena announced that she’d leave Bernie to get settled in then she’d give her a quick tour of the ward before Bernie could get stuck in with the patients. 

Bernie’s first day went without a hiccup. She’d impressed everyone, especially Serena with her good instincts and quick reactions, but it had had been reasonably quiet (well as quiet as AAU could be). 

“it’s our way of luring you into a false sense of security!” Serena told Bernie as they exited the ward together at the end of their shift. 

“I hope you’re right!” Bernie had replied with another honk of laughter. Serena couldn’t help but laugh alongside her, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever met anyone with a laugh quite so distinct or as infectious as Bernie Wolfe. 

“I don’t know about you, but there’s a large glass of shiraz somewhere with my name on it.” Serena told Bernie as they walked out the hospital. “Can I tempt you to join me at Albie’s, our very nice and reasonably priced local bar.” 

“I’d better get back, Alex has been home alone all day and I bet she’s keen to hear how my first day went.” Bernie replied, rummaging in her handbag for her keys. 

“Ahh, next time then.” Serena replied. “Oh here, take my number,” She added, taking out her purse and pulling a business card from it which she handed straight to Bernie. “You know, if there’s anything you need to ask or whatever.” 

“Thank you,” Bernie smiled warmly and placed the business card carefully in her pocket. “Well thank you for a lovely first day Serena. I’ll see you tomorrow!” She said as she began to walk away to her car. 

Serena smiled and saluted in Bernie’s direction.

“Tomorrow.” She replied.

 

Bernie pulled her car into the driveway of her house and quickly climbed out of the car, she’d had a brilliant first day at her new job and couldn’t wait to tell Alex all about it. She let herself into the house and put her bag down on the table in the hall, that was when she noticed the pair of red shoes that were laying haphazardly by the door. They certainly weren’t her shoes, nor were they Alex’s to her knowledge. Bernie shrugged, presuming they must have been new, and walked through her house and into the kitchen expecting Alex to be in there. When she wasn’t Bernie became a bit confused and walked through to the dining room and then the sitting room in search of her wife. When she wasn’t in any of those places, Bernie made for the stairs in order to look for her upstairs. 

Bernie opened her bedroom door and found Alex. Completely naked with her head in between the legs of another woman. Time stood still momentarily and then all of a sudden it sped up and Alex jumped up as if she’d been electrocuted and Bernie turned and ran back down the stairs.

Angry tears sprang into Bernie’s eyes as she walked back into the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. She poured herself a large measure into the first glass she could get her hands on and closed her eyes as she took a mouthful, wishing that what she’d just walked in wasn’t real. A few moments later a very sheepish looking Alex appeared in the kitchen wrapped in an oversized dressing gown.

“Look Bern…” Alex started to say, but Bernie interrupted her.

“No Alex, I don’t want to hear it. You lost that right whenever you started fucking whatever her name is.” Bernie snapped. 

Alex looked down at her toes.

Bernie took a deep breath and then asked the question she really didn’t want the answer to. 

“How long?” 

“You never have time for me anymore Bernie. We used to have so much fun together, we were a team. Then we came here and all of a sudden I wasn’t your priority anymore. You were too busy taping over the cracks with your children, trying to fix the fundamental mess you made of everything when you skipped off to the army without as much of a backwards glance.” Alex said through gritted teeth, looking directly at Bernie. 

“No. Don’t you dare blame this on me.” Bernie replied, anger slowly creeping in to the edges of her voice. “I want to know how long you’ve been fucking that woman who I just found you with in our bed.” 

Alex took a deep breath.

“She was our estate agent, I bumped into her about a month after we moved in. We got talking over a coffee and as it was abundantly clear that I wasn’t your priority anymore, one thing lead to another and well...” She replied, having the decency to look back to her feet. 

The silence in the room was deafening which only accentuated the sound of smashing glass as Bernie dropped the glass she was holding. 

“So, five months.” Bernie finally replied. “I can’t even look at you at the moment.” She spat before turning on her heels, grabbing her handbag in the hall and walking out to her car. She drove aimlessly for what felt like hours when she eventually found herself back in the hospital carpark. She didn’t want to bother her children with this, knowing all to well of their low opinion of Alex and not knowing who else to call she pulled the business card Serena had given her earlier that evening out of her pocket and dialled the number into her phone. She pressed the green call button and held the phone up to her ear, Serena answered on the second ring.

“Hello?” Serena said brightly, the noise of the pub was clear in the background.

“Hi Serena, it’s Bernie. I was just wondering if that offer for a drink was still on?” Bernie said in a small voice, trying to swallow the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat.

“Why of course it is!” Serena replied, “I’m still here at Albie’s, how far away are you?” 

“I’m just outside. Be with you in five.” Bernie replied, already stepping out of her car.

“Great stuff.” Serena replied, “Is everything ok?” She asked with a concerned edge to her voice.

“I hope so.” Bernie replied before terminating the call and making the short walk to the pub.

 

Several hours passed and Bernie and Serena had made their way happily through two bottles of wine. Bernie hadn’t told Serena what was upsetting her but Serena knew something was troubling the blonde. She was a completely different woman to the one she’d saluted to in the carpark earlier that evening and she kept looking at her phone and frowning.

“Are you going to tell me the reason why you don’t want to go home?” Serena asked Bernie as the clock crept past 10.

Bernie sighed and rubbed her face.

“When I got home I found my wife in bed with another woman. I found out it’d been happening for five months and I really really don’t want to face her right now.” She replied. 

Serena gently rested her hand on Bernie’s shoulder and rubbed it in a comforting way.

“I remember when I found out my ex-husband was having an affair, and I know exactly how you’re feeling. I do suggest not doing anything about it tonight though. It’s late, you’ve just had your first day of a new job which you are brilliant at by the way, the feeling of hurt is still very raw and not to mention the bottle of wine you’ve drank. I have a spare room which you’re more than welcome to use and then you can take all this on tomorrow when your head is a bit clearer.” Serena said, her hand not stopping rubbing circles on Bernie’s shoulder. 

“You’d do that for me?” Bernie whispered looking up at Serena. “You only met me today.” She added.

“I’m a very good judge of character.” Serena replied with a wink “Now drink up,” She said indicating to the wine glass that was a quarter filled in front of Bernie “I’ll go and call us a taxi.”

Bernie reached over and pulled Serena into a tight hug

“Thank you.” She whispered.


End file.
